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Date: April 7th, 2013
Time: Registration at 1:30pm, Meeting begins at 2:00pm
Location: Maritime Labour Centre, 1880 Triumph Street, Vancouver, BCVolunteers |COPE’s Annual General Meeting is one of our most important and most attended. To ensure that things run smoothly, we need many volunteers! If you are interested in helping, please contact our Executive Director, Sean Antrim at sean@cope.bc.ca or 604-600-2731. Volunteers will still be able to take part in all of the meeting activities, whether voting or otherwise. Some particular attributes we are looking for are:

– First Aid
– Drivers with a vehicle
– Registration
– Set-up

Executive Elections |

We will be electing people to six positions on our Executive Committee. Those positions are:

Those who wish to run must be nominated from the floor of the meeting. Nominators will receive 1 minute to introduce their nominees. Candidates for the Executive will each receive 3 minutes to introduce themselves to the COPE membership.

Refreshments |

Water, coffee, and tea will be served at the meeting. Please bring your own mug or water container to prevent unnecessary waste.

Accessibility |

The Maritime Labour Centre is fully accessible. The wheelchair accessible entrance is the main entrance, on the North side of the building, off Triumph Street (there is a ramp on the sidewalk near Victoria Drive). If you have any other questions about accessibility, please give us a call at 604-255-0400.

Childminding |

If you need childminding for the afternoon, we will do our best to accommodate you. Please let us know, so that we can make sure to have an appropriate number of childminders and materials.

How to get there/Directions |

Public Transit

The Maritime Labour Centre is one block South of Powell Street, which is a bus route. Buses that travel

Homeless Connect

Homeless Connect days are special events designed to give people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness access to a wide range of health and other support services all under one roof.

The City will be among other organizations province-wide that will host special events to provide free services for the homeless including: food, foot care, haircuts, hearing tests, pet care, street nurses, and bike repair. The events are also an opportunity to connect with service providers and gather information on employment, housing and health while in a welcoming atmosphere with food, music and other entertainment.

COPE Councilor Ellen Woodsworth committed today to slow gentrification in the Downtown Eastside, a process that is pushing out local residents through unaffordable rent and rising food costs. In front of the controversial Pantages Theatre site, Woodsworth announced COPE’s plan to ensure property in the Downtown Eastside is devoted to affordable housing for the low-income community.

“The hundred block of Hastings is not a place for high end condos,” said Woodsworth. “The Downtown Eastside can count on COPE to make certain that housing developed in the neighbourhood provides for the current local residents.”

COPE committed to calling for a condominium development moratorium in the Downtown Eastside until sufficient low-income housing is in place. COPE will also strengthen the anti-conversion by-law by defining ‘affordability’ as being affordable to those on Government Assistance. This will ensure that residents of the area are not forced to leave their homes because of increasing rent.

“The Downtown Eastside community is well organised and they have set specific priorities for how the City plans their vital neighbourhood,” said Woodsworth. “COPE remains committed to listening to neighbourhoods, and this neighbouhood is speaking loud, and clear.”

Woodsworth highlighted the demands of local community groups, including the resident-based Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood Council, calling on the City of Vancouver to identify 10 locations to be designated as future sites for low-income housing. COPE also commits to providing greater security and safety for residents of Single Occupancy (SRO) hotels.

“Our city staff need more resources to help enforce standards of maintenance by-laws. This is crucial in order to protect our city’s most vulnerable from absentee or neglectful land owners,” added Woodsworth.

COPE also set a target of creating 1000 affordable housing units in Vancouver every year.

“Housing is a top priority for our city, and residents can count on COPE to create a Vancouver for everyone with safe, secure, affordable housing,” said Woodsworth.

While calling for a national housing strategy and for increased provincial support for affordable and supportive housing units, COPE wants the City to play a leadership role in making the creation of new housing a reality.

“We cannot let Stephen Harper or Christy Clark off the hook. Both provincial and federal governments must return to the housing table,” said Woodsworth. “Vancouver cannot wait though, and COPE councilors will work everyday to focus on how best to make Vancouver affordable for everyone.”